Remember eating English muffin pizzas as a kid? I do. My mom used to make them for us all the time. She’d take a few muffins, slather on some marinara sauce (homemade, of course) and top it with whatever kind of cheese she happened to have in the fridge.  Then, she’d pop them in the toaster oven until they were hot and bubbly. The sauce would puddle up and settle into those nooks and crannies under a gooey blanket of melted cheese. We loved them!

Later on, when I was in college, English muffin pizza became one of the mainstays of my diet – and my social life. With a hotpot and toaster oven being the only appliances allowed in my dorm room, my culinary options were limited to canned soup, ramen noodles and whatever I could find to toast. Preparing anything beyond that required both resourcefulness and creativity. I spent many a late night study break whipping up English muffin pizzas for my dorm mates and me with sauce from a jar and regular old Kraft singles. It was far from gourmet, but every bite was filled with the taste of sweet independence.

When Mini SGCC was little, I carried on the English muffin pizza tradition. By that time, I had a well equipped kitchen, a fully stocked fridge and a lot more choices. I began to experiment a little with different sauces and toppings, and tried to sneak a few healthy bits of fruits and vegetables into my pizzas.

Last May, I met some of the folks from Bays English Muffins at BlogHer Food in Atlanta.  After the conference, they were nice enough to send me some free samples to try out.   When the package came in the mail, the first thing I thought of was pizza.  English muffin pizza to be precise!  So, I put on my pizza-making thinking cap and came up with a few ideas to take them to the next level.  These are not your mama’s English muffin pizzas, people!

This one is topped with a zesty basil pesto sauce, slices of fresh Roma tomatoes and grated Parmesan cheese.  I had some homemade pesto in the freezer, but store bought pesto would work fine here.

For this pizza, I cooked diced red onion and zucchini in olive oil until soft.  For the “sauce” I used Boursin cheese, a spreadable garlic and herb cheese.  Topped with a little shredded mozzarella, it was out of this world!

I think that this one was my favorite of all.  I spread a layer of cream cheese on the toasted muffin, and spooned on a mixture of diced fresh pineapple, pepperoni and red onion sautéed in butter.  Then, I sprinkled some shredded Swiss cheese on top.  When I sank my teeth into it, I got sweet, salty, crunchy and creamy all at the same time. Divine!

The topping possibilities for these pizzas are literally endless!  Pretty much anything that you have in your fridge can be turned into a mini pizza masterpiece.  It’s a great way to use up leftovers too.

Making English muffin pizzas is one of the easiest things in the world to do.  It’s almost impossible to ruin them.  But, there are a few tricks you can use to make them even better.  First of all, you should always lightly toast the muffins before you add on any toppings.  By doing this, you’ll prevent “soggy bottoms” and keep your pizzas nice and crispy.  Second, if you’re using fresh tomatoes, set them on a plate lined with a paper towel for ten minutes or so before putting them on the pizzas.  This will help to “dry” them up a bit so that they hold their shape when baked.  Finally, if you are using fresh vegetables to top your pizzas, take a few extra minutes and sauté them on the stove to get tender.   The pizzas only bake for about ten minutes, and I found that the veggies were still kind of raw.

English muffin pizzas are fast, easy and super delicious.  Plus, they’re a lot of fun!  They make a great lunch for the kids, a quick weeknight dinner and a perfect, self contained nosh at cocktail parties.  So, channel your inner child and make some now!

Thank you to Bays for providing the English muffins used in making these recipes.  As always, however, the opinions presented are mine – all mine!

I couldn’t live without my coffee!  Seriously, I don’t just drink it for the caffeine kick, although that is a plus.  I really enjoy the taste of coffee.  And, I love waking up in morning to the wonderful aroma of fresh coffee brewing.  What I don’t love so much is that bitter, burned taste it gets after it’s been sitting in the pot for too long. Yuck!   At our house, whoever gets up first is responsible for making the coffee. Unfortunately, that means that by the time the rest of us are ready for a cup, it is often already past its prime.

About a year ago, I found a solution to this problem:  the Keurig home brewing system.  With this machine, you brew one cup of coffee at a time – when you want it.  It is fresh and hot every time.  The coffee comes in these little sealed, plastic containers called “K-cups”.  You just fill the tank with water, pop in a K-cup, push the brew button and voilà – coffee in about a minute!  There are a gazillion different kinds of coffee blends available in K-cups, so you can still have whatever kind of coffee you like.  Plus, they even have tea, hot chocolate and iced beverage K-cups.  How cool is that?  Not only that, but the machine comes with a teeny, tiny coffee filter, so don’t even have to use a K-cup.  You  can use any coffee you happen to have on hand.   Sweet!

So, here’s the best part. The nice folks from Keurig reached out to me a while ago and offered to send me one of their machines to try out. Since I already have one, I asked if they would be willing to send one to a lucky SGCC reader instead. They said yes, and so I’m thrilled to be able to offer one of YOU a Keurig Platinum Brewer of your very own!  And trust me, you do want one of these.  

All you have to do to be eligible for a shot to win is to do one or more of the following:

• Leave a comment telling me what your favorite coffee recipe is.  It can either be a coffee drink, or food using coffee in some form.
• Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter, with a link to this post, and leave a another comment here telling me you did so.  Make sure you @mention me in your tweet, so that I will see it.
• Share the link to this post on Facebook or Google+ or both, and leave a comment here.
• And last, but not least, I will give two extra chances to win to each new person who “Likes” my Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy fan page on Facebook.  That’s right – TWO EXTRA CHANCES!    But, make sure you also leave a comment here letting me know you’re a new fan.

You have until midnight EDT on Saturday, July 30, 2011 to leave your comments.  Next Sunday, July 31, I will randomly select and announce the lucky winner.

On your mark…Get set…GO!!!

Of course, I couldn’t leave you without sharing one of my favorite ways to enjoy coffee this time of year. When the temperature rises, I like my coffee iced, or better yet, frozen. So, I made these easy, peasy Vietnamese Coffee Popsicles to help you beat the heat.

To make your own popsicles, the first thing you have to do is brew some super strong coffee. I use a dark French roast. There are several varieties available in K-cups that would be perfect for this. You’ll need two cups of brewed coffee, or about three K-cups worth. Mix the coffee with some whole milk and sweetened condensed milk, and chill. Then, freeze the coffee mixture in popsicle molds until frozen solid. That’s it! It doesn’t get any simpler than that, people.

So, if you’ve been feeling as hot and bothered as I have lately, cool off with some frosty and refreshing Vietnamese Coffee Popsicles.

And, don’t forget to enter for a chance to win this fab Keurig Platinum Brewing System!

Enjoy!

A few weeks ago, I got an email from Tom and Michael, two recent college grads with a passion for design, business and salsa.  They asked me if I would be interested in trying out their new invention – the Salsabol.   Salsabol?   It sounded pretty interesting, so of course, I said yes.

It seems that like many of us, Tom and Michael were sick and tired of scooping up salsa and having it fall off of their chips.  They knew that there must be a better and neater way to serve salsa and other dips, so they decided to put their heads together and create one.  The result is the Salsabol.

The Salsabol is an elegantly crafted and highly functional ceramic bowl designed to put an end to spilled salsa messes forever. It features a unique, patent-pending lip that pushes your salsa or dip back onto your chip for the perfect scoop every time!  Imagine!  You’ll never have to scrape salsa splotches off of your tablecloth again! 

Here’s how it works.

The raised side of the Salsabol curves back over into the bowl to form a perfectly-engineered ramp to guide the salsa directly onto your chip. Just scoop your chip up the high side and the “bol” will do the rest!  Brilliant!

The first thing I noticed when I took my Salsabol out of its box is how pretty it is.  It has a sleek, curvy shape that will go with any decor.  Plus, you can get it in any color you like, as long as it’s yellow.  Luckily, I happen to love yellow.

To “christen” my new Salsabol, I decided to make some delicious homemade salsa over the weekend.  This Spicy Melon Salsa is quite possibly one of the best salsas I’ve ever eaten, and it is a snap to make!  It’s put together with a mix of cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon, blended with some red onion, jalapeno, lime juice, fresh mint and my secret ingredient – Sriracha sauce.  That’s right – Sriracha!  It gives this salsa the perfect little spicy kick without making it too hot to handle.

All you do is dice up the melons, onion, jalapeno and mint in little, tiny pieces and swirl in the lime juice and Sriracha.  I also added a large pinch of both salt and sugar to balance out the flavors.  Although, if your melons are super sweet, you could probably leave out the sugar.

I’d never had a salsa made with melons before, but I often add them to salads.  I love the cool and refreshing aspect they bring to a dish.  They definitely came through for me in this salsa.  It was light, crisp and just slightly sweet, playing perfectly off of the tart lime and spicy Sriracha.

And yes, my Salsabol worked great! Not a drop of that lovely salsa went anywhere but on the blue corn chips I served it with.

If you want to join the Salsabol revolution too, visit Tom and Michael’s site and get a Salsabol for yourself.  I think it’s gonna be big!

*The Salsabol was provided to me free of charge by the company in the hope that I would like it and review it on this site.  I did like it and this review reflects my personal opinion of the product.  I make no other guarantees or warranties regarding the product.

Enjoy!

I always try to keep it real here at SGCC.  Sometimes, that means sharing my flops as well as my successes – and believe me, there are quite a few flops!

Remember this?

How about this?

Yessiree, things don’t always flow smoothly in my kitchen!  But, that’s okay. We learn from our mistakes. And if that’s true, dear readers, I must be the smartest person on earth!

So when things didn’t turn out quite as planned while making these cupcakes, I decided to tell you about them anyway.  Because they were still delicious.  Because s*%t happens.  And, because the truth will set you free.   Here’s how it went down. 

A few months ago, I “liked” Dolce Nonna’s fan page on Facebook.  Dolce Nonna produces a line of artisanal food products, including marinated peppers, string beans and eggplant.  The products are all natural and made by hand.  They reminded me of the “giardiniera” that my grandmother used to make.  She would take a mix of fresh vegetables, simmer them in vinegar, sugar, water and spices until crisp-tender, and jar them.  Her giardiniera was wonderful on an antipasto tray or as a complement to any meal.

Before I ever got around to ordering any of Dolce Nonna’s products, I got an email from her letting me know that I been selected to receive a gift of her newest product – Succulent Spiced Pears.  Woo hoo!  Since I never win anything, I usually don’t bother to even try for giveaways. This time, I didn’t have to do a thing – and I won!

About a week later, the FedEx guy arrived at my door bearing three jars of Dolce Nonna’s Succulent Spiced Pears.  After I gave him a big kiss (not really, but I wanted to), I opened up a jar and fished out a few slices to try.  I liked them.  I really, really liked them!  They were sweet and spicy and just the tiniest bit “herby”.  Peering into the jar, I saw chunks of fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks and anise seeds.  Nice!

I served the rest of the jar alongside some grilled pork chops that night.  A perfect combination!  I saved one jar for snacking.  And, I made these Succulent Spiced Pear Streusel Cupcakes with the third.  I thought about giving one jar away, but they were too good to share.

To make the cupcakes, I mixed and matched a few different recipes and then added my own touches.  For the cake and streusel filling, I used a coffee cake recipe from the King Arthur Flour web site.   For the crumb topping, I used an old recipe from the New York Times.  And, for the spiced pear filling, I used my imagination.  None if these steps was very difficult. Except the using my imagination part.  That one kind of hurt my head a little.

The first thing you need to do is make all of the different cupcake components.

Here’s the crumb topping.  I could eat it with a spoon.

I chopped up the pears and added some raisins to them, just because I felt like it.  I’m crazy like that.

Here’s how you build your cupcakes.

Fill each cupcake cup about one quarter full with cake batter.

Sprinkle on some streusel and fruit filling.

Then, pour some more cake batter over each one and put a generous handful of crumb topping on top.

And finally, bake them.

Uh oh!

Well, this certainly wasn’t what I had in mind!

Not even my prettiest cake stand and ten Hail Marys could save these.

This one was the best of the bunch. It only had one big, gaping hole in it.

So, where did I go wrong?  First of all, I was being lazy and I didn’t want to take the trouble to butter and flour my cupcake pan.  I also couldn’t be bothered to walk the ten steps to my baking cabinet and fish out some cupcake liners. Luckily, I was able to reach my nonstick cooking spray without stretching my arm too far, so I sprayed the pan with that. It was one of those fancy, expensive, gold nonstick cupcake pans from Williams-Sonoma, so I figured it would be okay. Big, big, big mistake! Those cupcakes stuck to that pan like it was lined with Super Glue!  I had to pry them out of the cups in chunks!  I also forgot to mix a little flour in with the fruit, and it sank to the bottom of the cupcakes like spicy little lead balloons.  On top of all that, I overfilled my cupcake cups and the batter bubbled up and oozed all over to rival Mt. Vesuvius.

Sigh…..

Oh, how I wish that these had turned out better!  Because if they looked pretty, you would most certainly be inspired to try them – and I so much want for you to try them.

So, do as I say and not as I do.  Butter and flour your cupcake pans.  Or better yet, use cupcake liners.  Toss a little flour in with your pears and raisins.  And, don’t overfill the pan.   But, please, please, please, make. these. cupcakes! You will love, love, love them!

Succulent Spiced Pear Streusel Cupcakes

Ingredients

for the streusel:  (adapted from King Arthur Flour web site):

1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process or natural (optional)

for the crumb topping:  (adapted from the New York Times)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 3/4-2 cups all purpose flour

for the pear filling:

1 jar Dolce Nonna’s Succulent Spiced Pears
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins

for the cupcakes (adapted from King Arthur Flour web site):

3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt (1 ¼ teaspoons if you use unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/4 cups milk (anything from skim to whole)
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup cupcake pan or insert a paper liner into each cup.

To make the streusel: Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Note that the cocoa powder is used strictly for color, not flavor. Leave it out if you like. Set aside.

To make the crumb topping: In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, salt and butter until smooth. Stir in flour with a spatula. Press mixture together.  It will look like a solid dough. When ready to use, break topping mixture into big crumbs with your fingers, about 1/4 to 1/2- inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size.

To make the pear filling: Drain the pears and reserve the liquid from the jar in a small bowl.  Pat the pears dry and dice into small chunks.  Place the diced pears in another small and toss with a tablespoon of flour. Set aside.

Add the raisins to the reserved pear liquid and let it sit for about 5 minutes or until the raisins plump up a little.  Drain and add raisins to the pears.  Set aside.

To make the cupcakes: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk till well combined. It’s okay if the batter is a little lumpy.

Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.

Pour approximately 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the batter into each cupcake cup (about 1/4 full).  Then, sprinkle about a teaspoon of streusel filling and 1 tablespoon of pear filling on top of the batter. Add more batter to the cups until each is about two thirds full.  Then, top each cup with some of the crumb topping.

Bake about 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about 15-20 minutes before removing and serving.

Makes 12-15 cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Who doesn’t love pasta?  It has got to be one of the most popular and versatile foods on the planet. I know it’s my favorite!  Every ethnic culture I can think of has its own spin on how to prepare and enjoy it.  Just for fun, I did a quick Google search for pasta recipes and came up with over twelve million listings.  That, dear readers, makes for a helluva lot of pasta dishes!  And best of all, most pasta dishes can go from stovetop to tabletop in under an hour.

But, all pasta is not created equal. We all know that the success of any recipe depends on the quality of ingredients used. The kind of pasta product you use can make or break a dish.  You can find a few decent brands in the supermarket, and honestly, I often buy them.  However, when I really want to make something special and have a few extra bucks in my pocket, I head over to my Italian specialty market and splurge on the fancy imported stuff.  It truly does make a difference.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sample an excellent brand of imported Italian pasta that I’ve been hearing a lot about – Garofalo Signature Pasta.  The company was kind enough to send me a few different kinds to try.  Garofalo has been making pasta for over 200 years, and produces the Signature line from their headquarters in Gragnano, Italy, near the ruins of Pompeii. Gragnano is considered to be the birthplace of pasta. The company combines the art of traditional Neapolitan pasta making with modern technology to create their top quality pasta products. The pastas are made from the finest semolina wheat available, and are created using traditional bronze dies to ensure that the integrity of each cut’s texture is preserved.  They offer numerous varieties of short and long cuts, both textured and smooth, so there is something for everyone. 

I prepared my pasta with a few very simple, basic sauces, specifically so that the pasta itself would have a chance to shine – and it definitely did.  I found that Garofalo pasta is simply one of the best I’ve ever eaten!  When cooked al dente, the pasta is firm and slightly toothsome, yet tender.  It had none of the “gumminess” that one often finds with other brands.  Even sauceless, this pasta had a wonderful flavor.

While there isn’t anyplace here on the Gulf Coast that carries the Garofalo brand of pasta, there are many retailers that carry it around the U.S., including Costco.   For a list of where you can buy it, click over to the Garofalo site and see if it ‘s available in your area.  I’ve already asked my local Italian market to stock it and hopefully, they will soon.

Below, I’ve shown the ways that I enjoyed my pasta and given you a few recipes for the sauces I used.  I’ve also given you my recipe for a fast and easy pasta salad that is not only delicious, but extremely versatile.  I made it vegetarian this time, but I often add different proteins like tuna, grilled shrimp or chicken and even beans to make it a complete meal.

If none of these recipes float your boat, I have lots more that might.  Check out the rest of SGCC’s pasta recipes to find the perfect one for you.   Enjoy!

It appears that I’m in “product review” mode lately.  It wasn’t planned.  It’s just that lately I’ve received some excellent products to try and I thought you might be interested in hearing about them.  Last week, I told you about Chocomize, a very cool company that makes personalized gourmet chocolate bars.  Today, I’m swinging to the other side of the spectrum and telling you about some excellent cheese that I’ve been sampling from Ile de France.

Ile de France Cheese has been importing gourmet French brie, goat cheese and camembert since 1936, when it was the first importer of French brie to the United States. The company uses the Ile de France name to promote Ile de France brand cheeses as well as other types of gourmet-quality French cheese that are sold under different labels and owned by the same parent company.

I have long been familiar with Ile de France’s brie, goat cheese and camembert, as  they are readily available in my area supermarkets.  What I hadn’t realized before was that several of the other “fancy French cheeses” in the cheese case, like Comté, St. Andre and Raclette, were also from the company.  So, when the folks at Ile de France invited me to sample some of their cheese, I happily accepted, and chose one that I had never seen at my local market – St. Agur.

St. Agur is a soft, velvety blue cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk in the French village of Monts du Velay. It has a mild, buttery flavor with just a hint of delicate sharpness.  With a 60% butter cream content, it is considered a double-cream cheese. As you might expect, every bite is sinfully delicious. It’s a divine cheese that reminds me a little of a fine Italian gorgonzola dolce.  Because it is so rich and creamy, St. Agur melts and spreads easily, making it a great choice for cooking.

With the hefty chunk of St. Agur cheese I had in my hot, little hands, I was able to make three different but equally fabulous dishes.  The first was a decadent homemade blue cheese dressing that I served over salads and with buffalo wings.  The second was a light and lovely spinach salad with pears, blueberries, toasted walnuts and a pear vinaigrette.  And, the third dish was a “black and bleu” burger, topped with lots of gooey, melty St. Agur crumbles.  Don’t ask me which one I liked best. That would be like asking a mother to choose her favorite child!  All three dishes were wonderful, due in no small part to that heavenly St. Agur cheese.

Homemade St. Agur Dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Dash Tabasco sauce
6 ounces St. Agur cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients except cheese until smooth.  Crumble in 1/2 of the St. Agur and whiz in a blender or with a hand blender until fairly thick and smooth.  Stir in remaining cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes approximately 2 cups

Spinach Salad with St. Agur, Pears, Blueberries, Walnuts and Pear Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pear nectar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
8 cups baby spinach
1 cup walnut halves, toasted
1 cup fresh or canned pears, diced
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup crumbled St. Agur cheese

Directions:

1.  To make pear vinaigrette, combine pear nectar and honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half.  Remove from heat and let cool.

2.  Whisk in Dijon mustard and cider vinegar. Still whisking, drizzle in olive oil until emulsified.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Combine  spinach, walnuts, pears and blueberries together in a large salad bowl. Top with cheese. Just before serving, add the dressing and gently toss.

Serves 4.

Black & Bleu Burgers

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground sirloin
1/2 medium onion, coarsely grated
2 teaspoons blackened seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
6 ounces St. Agur cheese, crumbled
6 hamburger buns, split, toasted and brushed with a little melted butter

Directions:

1.  Combine the chuck, sirloin, onion, blackened seasoning, Worcestershire, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.  Mix well and shape into 6 thick burger patties.

2.  Cook burgers on an indoor or outdoor grill or griddle to desired doneness.

3.  Place each burger in a bun and top with some of the St. Agur cheese and any other toppings you desire.

Serves 6.

While I did receive the product to try for free, I received no monetary compensation or other inducement to write this review. I wrote it because I really, really liked the cheese. If I ever saw it available in a shop around here, I would buy it.  In fact, I’ve already spoken to the deli manager at my local market to see about stocking it.  If you have access to St. Agur where you live, you really should give it a try.  You won’t be disappointed.

I hope you enjoy these recipes using St. Agur cheese.  Stay tuned, because I’ve also got an amazing ice cream to share with you that I made with Ile de France’s goat cheese.  You won’t believe it!

One of the perks of being a fabulously famous food blogger is having tons of various product vendors, food companies and book publishers send you scads of all kinds of great products to try out.  Since I’m not a fabulously famous food blogger (except maybe in my mother’s mind), I guess I can’t really comment on that.  But even so, I do get my fair share of offers, some of which are quite…..um…..”interesting”.  Let’s just say that you won’t be seeing any Botox ads, home appliance promotions or MLM schemes on SGCC any time soon.  Still,  after weeding out the obviously inappropriate, I do end up with some pretty appealing propositions that I think you all would enjoy hearing about. Chocomize is definitely one of them.  I’m telling you people, this is one very cool product!

Those of you who visit SGCC regularly already know that I don’t do a lot of product reviews.  This is partly because of time constraints and also because there aren’t too many products I get offered that really thrill me.  But, when Nick from Chocomize contacted me about trying out his product, I was intrigued.  After visiting his web site, I was excited!  Chocomize is a company that creates personalized chocolate bars.  You just go to the web site and click on Creation Station. There, you can choose your chocolate and add-ins to design your own custom chocolate bar.  Brilliant!  Just brilliant!

All of the chocolate used by Chocomize is high quality Belgian dark, milk and white chocolate.  There are over ninety different kinds of fruits, nuts, herbs and candies to choose from as well, which gives you literally millions of different options. Some of them are pretty obvious, but many are quite unorthodox, like flax seeds, goji berries, mini chipotles, Pop Rocks, crystallized flowers, beef jerky and Cheerios.  And yes, there’s even bacon!

If you’re not feeling particularly creative, Chocomize also has a number of premade bars like their S’mores Bar, a milk chocolate bar with mini marshmallows and Teddy Grahams; and their and Tropical Island Bar, a dark chocolate bar with banana chips, coconut and dried cantaloupe bits.  There is even an “I Feel Lucky” Bar, which is one that the folks at Chocomize will create specially for you.

Nick generously invited me to design two custom chocolate bars of my own from Chocomize’s extensive collection, and let me tell you – it wasn’t easy! There were so many great ingredients to pick from!  I ended up with a mix of mango, ginger, curry and macadamia nuts in milk chocolate, and sour cherries, beef jerky and mini chipotles in dark chocolate.  Yum!

When I received my chocolate in the mail, I was pleased to see that it came securely packaged in a sturdy box with a cold pack to keep it from melting.  I was delighted to find that Nick had also sent me a S’mores Bar to try as well!  Each bar came wrapped in plastic and in an attractive box which stated the list of ingredients and nutritional information on it.  The boxes also had “Susan’s Chocolate Bar” printed on them, which I thought was a nice touch.

Of course, the true measure of Chocomize’s success depends on how the bars taste.  Let me tell you, they tasted great!  Both the milk and dark chocolate were very smooth, silky and creamy, with a rich “chocolatey” taste.  The add ins were all fresh and flavorful too.  The bars had that nice “snap” when broken – just like an excellent quality chocolate bar should.   I shared my bars with Mini SGCC and some friends, and they all gave them two thumbs up.

I think that a delicious, personalized Chocomize chocolate bar would make the perfect gift for any occasion.  I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate?  Plus, the fact that you can customize any bar exactly how you want it makes it an extra thoughtful gift.  Another nice thing about Chocomize is that you can order chocolate bars in bulk to give as wedding favors, corporate gifts or for any kind of special event.  Sweet!

Another benefit of ordering from Chocomize is that the company donates 1% of the value of each order to one of their selected charities.   You even get to choose which charity you want the donation to be made to.

I suppose here is where I should tell you that Chocomize did send me the chocolate bars to try and review for free.  While I did receive free products as an inducement, I did not receive any monetary compensation to write this review.  I wrote this review based upon my personal experience with the product, and it reflects my personal opinion of it.  However, the bottom line is that if I didn’t think that this was both a great concept and product, I wouldn’t say it.  But, I think you already know that.

Oh, yeah…I almost forgot.  The nice people at Chocomize also want to spread a little chocolate love around to you guys too.  They’ve created a special coupon code for all my fabulous readers. If you go to the web site and place an order, all you have to do is type ?sticky? into the coupon section on the checkout page to get a 10% discount. So, the next time you’re trying to find a unique gift for the person who has everything, or you just want to treat yourself, check out Chocomize.

Well, last night I used some to make this:

It’s a POMegranate Glazed Pork Tenderloin that I made using the leftover pomegranate syrup I made a few weeks ago with my POM Wonderful juice. Since I had already used the syrup to make some delicious ice cream, I wanted to try it in a savory recipe too. Pork marries well with so many different fruits, so I thought I’d try it with a pomegranate twist.

This dish was so ridiculously simple to prepare that I’m almost embarrassed to tell you about it. Except, that it was so darn tasty, it wouldn’t be fair of me NOT to tell you about it.

First of all, you need to make some pomegranate syrup (or molasses as some have called it). You can find the recipe in my Pomegranate Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream post.

Then, salt and pepper your tenderloin and brown it on all sides in a hot skillet using a little olive oil.

After that, brush the pork with the syrup and roast it in a pre-heated 400 degree F. oven for about 10-15 minutes until it is cooked to your liking.

Let the meat rest for a few minutes, slice it up and DIG IN!

THAT’S IT!

Here’s another fast, easy and delicious pork tenderloin recipe from the SGCC archives:

Pecan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Georgia Chutney

Last December, in a mad dash to beat the Christmas Rush, I stumbled upon an interesting new kiosk in one of our local malls. The kiosk was filled products from a company called See’s Candies.

See’s Candies???

Ahem……It goes without saying that I had to stop and investigate. Here’s what I found out.

See’s Candies is a manufacturer and distributor of candy, primarily chocolate, in the western United States. It was founded by Charles See and his mother Mary See in Los Angeles, California, in 1921. The company is now headquartered in South San Francisco, California. See’s Candies is famous for its delicious and diverse roster of products, which it largely markets only in its own stores, as well as in kiosks at malls and other shopping centers in select markets around the country and abroad.

The friendly See’s ladies in their signature black and white uniforms were very helpful and were nice enough to let me try out a few samples while I was there. Thanks to them, I also learned that See’s produces some pretty freakin’ awesome chocolate! Of course, I left that day with a shopping bag full of little chocolate somethings for everyone on my list.

I hot-footed it back to the mall after the Holidays to stock up on some more of See’s delicious chocolate, especially my new best friend: Toffee-ettes. Toffee-ettes are irresistible bite-size pieces of rich butter toffee with almonds, which are smothered in See’s creamy milk chocolate and then covered with bits of toasted almonds. They are To. Die. For. Alas, when I got to the mall, the kiosk was gone. And, so was all of the chocolate. I was majorly bummed!

Imagine my delight when, a few weeks ago, I received an email from a rep at See’s asking me if I was interested in sampling some of their chocolate, and perhaps using it in a recipe. Do I even need to tell you what my response was?

OMG, YES!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, SEND CHOCOLATE!!! YEEEESSSSSSS!!!!

And, they did.

A few days ago, a box of my beloved Toffee-ettes was delivered to me, me, me! After I safely hid them in the back of my pantry behind the pickled beets, I sat down to figure out a recipe to use them in.

At first, I thought of a toffee ice cream. But, my friend, Chocolatechic, had already beaten me to it with a lovely Victoria Toffee Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream. I also remembered that I had made my own version of toffee ice cream several months ago. So, as much as I love ice cream, I decided to go another way. I still wanted to make a frozen dessert, so I adapted my Tortoni recipe and made Toffee-ette Tortoni. What a great idea THAT was!

My Toffee-ette Tortoni was scrumdiddleyumptious! It was creamy and crunchy and chocolatey and almondy all at the same time. And, it is a snap to whip up. Aside from the freezing, it took me less than 20 minutes to make them. You have really got to try these!

Toffee-ette Tortoni
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups Toffee-ettes
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 quart homemade or premium quality vanilla ice cream, softened
Maraschino cherries, drained and halved for garnish

Directions:

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and sugar and saute until almonds are lightly browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cooled, break almond mixture up into small bits.

Crush the Toffee-ettes into small nuggets. You can do this by putting them in a zip lock bag and smacking them with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Be careful not to turn them into crumbs. Place the crumbled candy in a bowl and toss with the cooled almonds. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whip cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Spoon the candy mixture into the whipped cream, reserving 3/4 cup or so for topping.

Add the almond extract to the softened ice cream and stir until blended and very smooth. Fold candy/whipped cream mixture into ice cream.

Spoon into little pastry cups or ramekins. Sprinkle each cup with some of the reserved candy mixture and top with a cherry. Freeze until firm.

Makes about 1 quart of Tortoni mixture.

Enjoy!

The folks at See’s also asked me if I would let you all know about their recently released line of Easter candies. With the promise of free Toffee-ettes, how could I refuse? Check out their complete selection of Easter candy for yourself. They have everything from jelly beans to chocolate bunnies and then some. I’m particularly partial to their Scotchmallow Eggs, a combination of smooth caramel and fluffy honey marshmallow, covered with rich dark chocolate.

(Don’t they look great?)

Or, how about these fresh, fruity Springtime Truffles, which are raspberry and lemon truffles covered in creamy white chocolate, and topped with delicate pastel flowers. Mmmmm!

These Hollow Eggs with Novelty are hollow milk chocolate eggs with an adorable little white chocolate chick hidden inside. How cute are they?

If you’re looking for some fun and fabulous treats this Easter season, look no further than See’s Candies. You won’t be disappointed. Would I ever steer you wrong?

]]> http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/2009/03/26/see-what-sees-has-hatched-for-easter-and-toffee-ette-tortoni/feed/ 45 http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/2009/03/16/flavor-of-the-month-pom-wonderful-pomegranate-chocolate-chunk-ice-cream/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=flavor-of-the-month-pom-wonderful-pomegranate-chocolate-chunk-ice-cream http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/2009/03/16/flavor-of-the-month-pom-wonderful-pomegranate-chocolate-chunk-ice-cream/#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:10:00 +0000 Susan http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/?p=237
Okay, so I know that I missed doing a Flavor of the Month entry last month. Unfortunately, I was still stuck in that damn ankle cast at the time and I couldn’t really get around yet, so I had to skip it. Thank goodness the ankle has healed …]]>

Okay, so I know that I missed doing a Flavor of the Month entry last month. Unfortunately, I was still stuck in that damn ankle cast at the time and I couldn’t really get around yet, so I had to skip it. Thank goodness the ankle has healed up nicely and I’m back in business. It will still be a few more months before I can get back out on the tennis court, but at least I’m mobile again!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by POM Wonderful about sampling their 100% Pomegranate Juice. I’d seen the juice at the supermarket many times, but had never tried it before. So, I gratefully accepted the offer and did a little research.

It turns out that pomegranate juice is not only a tasty drink, but boasts many health benefits as well. Pomegranate juice is loaded with antioxidants – about three times more than are found in green tea or red wine. Antioxidants help to guard the body against the substances that can cause premature aging, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and lots of other diseases or health conditions.

POM guarantees that their product is 100% authentic pomegranate juice with no sugars or other additives. They grow, juice and bottle all of their own fruit. There are no middlemen. And, POM’s juice is made exclusively from the Wonderful variety of pomegranates, which is considered to be the best of over one hundred different varieties. Another great thing about POM is that theirs is the only pomegranate juice guaranteed to come exclusively from fruit grown in their own sunny Central California orchards.

Within a week, a case of cute little bottles of pomegranate juice arrived. I drank one chilled over ice and I really liked it. That juice was good stuff! Then, I started thinking about some different ways to use it. Since I was also trying to decide on an ice cream recipe for this month’s Flavor of the Month, the two ideas converged and this Pomegranate Chip Ice Cream was conceived.

I had never made an ice cream base using just juice as a flavoring ingredient before. I was worried that the ice cream might not set up properly, or that it might be icy. So, I decided to reduce the juice with sugar and turn it into a thick syrup before I added it to my other ingredients. Making a pomegranate syrup is super simple. All you do is mix the juice and sugar with a little lemon juice, bring it to a boil and keep it simmering until it reduces to the thickness you want.

Once my POM juice had reduced into a lovely, thick, intensely flavorful syrup, I let it cool to room temperature. Then, I prepared the base for the ice cream using the syrup, cream, milk and cornstarch. Once the ice cream was churned, I stirred in the chocolate chunks and a few tablespoons of pomegranate liqueur. I did this not only for extra flavor, but also to keep the ice cream from getting too hard in the freezer. If you don’t have access to this liqueur, you can use another flavored liqueur or plain vodka. You can also leave it out entirely.

The end result was an ice cream that was very creamy and smooth, although the pomegranate flavor was not as pronounced as I thought it would be. It certainly didn’t have that sharp tang that the juice had. Perhaps, it would have retained more of its bite if I had made a frozen yogurt instead. I liked it. It just wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. The bittersweet of the chocolate chunks played well against the mellow, laid back fruitiness of the ice cream. I think I would consider this ice cream one for the grown ups. It didn’t have that “in your face” sweetness that many ice cream flavors have. It was subtle and sophisticated. Perfect with a cup of after dinner espresso.

POM Wonderful Pomegranate Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream (Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups bottled POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pomegranate liqueur such as PAMA (optional)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks

Directions:

Combine pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium heat for 30-40 minutes, or until juice has reduced to about 1 cup. It should be the consistency of syrup.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat to warm it up. In a bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cream together until smooth. Add cream mixture to the saucepan and stir. Heat while stirring until mixture begins to boil.

Remove from heat and continue to stir for a few minutes. Pour the mixture into a bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to release the steam. Stir in the pomegranate syrup and salt.

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight, until well chilled.

Once chilled, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

When ice cream has finished churning, scoop it into an airtight freezer container. Stir in the liqueur, if using and the chocolate bits. Freeze until desired firmness is reached.

Makes approximately 1 quart.

Enjoy!

Past Flavor of the Month entries:

Toasted Coconut-Sesame Brittle Ice Cream

Here are some other great recipes using Pom Wonderful:

Pomegranate Lamb Tagine with Preserved Meyer Lemons from No Recipes

Pomegranate Glazed Pork Chops from the Adventures of Kitchen Girl

Pomegranate Palmiers from Cakespy

Cornish Game Hens with POM Pomegranate Glaze from Fotocuisine

Pomegranate Lemon Panna Cotta from Use Real Butter

Pomegranate and Blood Orange Sorbet from The Recipe Girl